Photographic dry-plate-coating machine



No Model.)

2 Sheets-Sheet 1, Y 12J. SWAINE 85 C. S. MOODY. PHOTOGRAPHIG DRY PLATE GOATING MACHINE.

PaJten'tedApr. 22, 1890.

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ahr-L o@ (No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 I'. J. SWAINE 8v C. S. MOODY.

l PHOTOGRAPHIG DRY PLATE GOATING MAGHINE.

No. 426,420. Patented Apr. 22, 1890.

t UNITED, ASTATES FREDERIC J. SWAINE, OF ST. LOUIS, AND CLARENCE S. MOODY,.OF WOOD- PATENT OFFICE.

LAND, ST. LOUIS COUNTY," ASSIGNORS TO THE M. A. SEED DRYILATE COMPANY, OF ST. LOUIS,v MISSOURI.

PHo'ro'eRAPHlo DRYPLATEfcoAT|Ne MACHIN E.

SPECIFICATION formingpart of Letters Patent No. 426,420, dated April 22, 1890.

Application filed August 12J 1889. Serial No. 320,523. (No model.)

4 To @ZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that we, FREDERIC J. SWAINE, of St. Louis, Missouri, and CLARENCE S. MOODY,

Vof Woodland, in the county of St. Louis and Stateof Missouri, have jointly made a new anduseful Improvement in PhotographicDry- Plate-Coating Machines, of which the follow` ing is a full, clear, and exact description.

This invention is an improved means whereby a photographic emulsion can be expeditions-ly applied to and se't upon theglass, cellaterally in position, in the means for dis.

tributing the emulsion in the coater, in the means for delivering the emulsion from the coater onto the plates, inthe means for chilling the coatedplates, in the means for cleansing the plateearrying belts, and in minor features of the improved construction,

l all substantially as i-s hereinafter set forth and claimed, aided by the annexed drawings, making part of lthis specification, in which- Figure l is a View, partlyin side elevation, partly in vertical longitudinal section, of the improved machine. machine. Fig. 3 is a vertical cross-section on the line 3 3 of Fig.- 6. Fig. 4: is a plan of the coater. Fig. 5 is a horizontal section on the line 5 5 of Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a vertical longitudinal section of a portion of the machine on the line 6 G of Fig. Fig. -7 is a View in perspective of one of lthe plugs used at the ends, respectively, of the coater. Fig. 8 is a section on'the line 8 8 of Fig. 3. g Figs. 9, 10, and 1r are cross-sections on the line 9 to ll, Fig. 4, and showing, respectively, different adjustment-s of the plug. Fig. lf. is a detail showing a portion of the coater, and Fig. 13 is a vertical cross-section on the line 13 13 of Fig. l.

The views are upon various scales, and the 5o same letters of reference denote the same parts.

Fig. 2 is a plan of thev A, Figs.' l and 2, represents in a somewhat general way the improved machine. The glass plates B to be' coated a-re delivered thereinto at the `receiving' end a thereof, are carried thence past the emulsion-coater C, by means of which theI emulsion is applied to the plates, thence' past a ruby-lightl D, by means of Which the operator can inspect the coating operation; thence into and through the refrigeratingchamber E, wherein the emulsion is cooled,dried, and set, and thence to the delivery end a of the machine, at which point the now finished dry-plates are removed from the machine. Theoperation fis necessarily carried on in the dark, and it can'be continued as long as is desirable;

The machine in some respects is analogous to those hitherto in use; but it diiers from thernin important respects, as follows: In the place o f transporting the plates upon a dat closed or. imperforate belt or series of belts. We employ an open-Work construction, and for these reasons: to minimize the extent of the contactof the plate with its support, and thereby prevent asmuch as is practicable the soiling of the under side or back of the plate with any emulsion,dust,or other thing which may have become attached to the belt; to provide for illuminating the plates from beneath for the purposes of inspection, and to enableA the cold air of the chill-box to act freely upon the coatedl plates from beneath as well as from above them. To these ends, and as the best mode of carrying out this part of the invention, .the plate-carrier is made in the form of two round endless belts F F. These belts extend throughout the length of the machine and are each carried around pulleys f f at the ends, respectively, of the machine. An ordinary twisted rope or cord, wire, or liber ishardly satisfactory, in consequence of its getting out of shape in passing around the pulleys or because of the moisture present. Accordingly we use a woven rope or cord which has been treated with some moistu1'erepellent, such as parafiine. Such a carrier keeps in form and also takes up but little room, is in contact with the plates to a very limited extent only, and the two cords canl be and are spaced far enough apart to expose the central portion of the plate to HOO intervals throughout its length.

view and to the atmosphere. Uniformity of rate ofv motion throughout the length of the machine is also obtained readily'by the use of. a single belt, instead of a series of belts, and, further, around belt can be more readily wiped and cleaned.

At the receiving end a of the machine the belts F F pass a strip G or bed-plate G', Figs. 1 and 2, and are confined laterally by .means of the ianges substantially'such as shown at g, or, what is the equivalent, the strip or bedplate is grooved. The object thereof is this: the attendant places th'e plates upon the belts from the side of-tlie machine, and in so doing is apt to displace the belts or to cause them to vibrate. 'The described lateral support for the belts prevents this.

The plates are carried by the belts beneath and past the coater C. Unlike other coaters,

the present one is substantially an opentrough arranged immediately above thele'vel of the plates being coated. While it is a convenience to be able thus to look into the vessel containing the emulsion, and in that respect a device preferable to a closed tube, the main advantage of such a device is that the emulsion can be delivered onto the plates with a more even liow than when the emulsion is supplied from a higher head.

When the emulsion is contained'in a vessel extending upward several inches above the'level at which the emulsion is delivered upon the plates, the pressure upon the emulsion at such point of delivery is liable to vary to such a degree as to seriously interfere with a uniform delivery. Not only does the head vary, but a difference in temperature is adisturbing element. Accordingly an open vessel-such as the open trough-like coater C-is used in the present machine, into which the emulsion may flow from some reservoir-such as the tank H-but which is not aected by reason of any superior level of such tank or of the height at which the emulsion may stand in the tank. In the present instance the emulsion is delivered into the coater by means of a tube l, leading from the tank. The `iiow through the tube I may be controlled by means of a suitable cock t, and,it' desired, an auxiliary cock t" may also be employed.

It is quite important that the emulsion be distributed evenly throughout the length of the coater, to which purpose care is taken not to introduce the emulsioninto the coater at oneend thereof and trust to its fiowing along the coater to the opposite end thereof, for when such a method is adopted there is a liability that the emulsion will stand at a higherlevel at one end of the coater than at the other end thereof, and, further, there is a liability that bubbles will form in the emulsion and find their way ultimately onto the plates. Therefore the 'supply-tube I terminates in a horizontal pipe i2, arranged above and extending well throughout the length of the tube and having openings s arranged at By this meansthe trough C is supplied evenly throughout its length.

l As an additional precaution against the forming of' air-bubbles in the emulsion, the tank H has a'h'opper h, from whose lower end a tube h leads toward the bottom, of the tank. The emulsion flows down through the tube and then wells upward in the tank, and the desired object is thereby promoted.

The coater is by means of an arm c hinged at c to a support at or about the level of' the coater, the aim and effect of this. being to enable the coater, as plates of dilerent thicknesses pass beneath it, to rise and fall as nearly as is practicable in a direction atvright angles to the plates, thereby facilitating tlle movement of the coater and enabling .the emulsion to be applied to the plates to better advantage.

The coater in' cross-section is substantially round underneath-th'at is, from the slits c2 downward and backward to the lowest-point thereof. This is important-namely, that the emulsion before it reaches the plates fiows in a direction contrary to that in which the line of plates to be coated is moving, as thereby the emulsion is better kept from breaking up into streaks upon the plates. The e1n ulsion leaves the coater C through a series of narrow slits e2, which extend throughout the length of the coater upon thaty side thereof that is toward thedelivry end of the machine. Such narrow vertically-extended slits are advantageous, partly because they operate to distribute the delivery from the coater throughoutl its length better than if the delivery were through a continuous opening or over a continuous edge, and because any slight variation in the height of the emulsion in the coater is not so influential in aecting the flow from the coater; but a leading feature of the coater is a provision whereby a reserve or surplus of the emulsion isoccasioned immediately at IOO IIO

the point of contact with the plate being coated. This is best accomplished by means of the shoulder ca at the lowest point of the coater. This shoulder in the direction in which the plates are moving is substantially upright. Its back c4 is preferably rounded, as shown. The emulsion as it flows downward upon the outside of the coater finally flows backward toward the shoulder. 'lhe tendency of the moving plates is to drag the em ulsion along with them; hence the current of the emulsion is turned at the point of contact with the plates, and the practical result is the described excess of emulsion and the thorough coating of the plates in `distinction from applyiug the emulsion in lines or streaks upon the plates. This excess of the emulsion. is valuable not only in coating any one'of tho plates, which are quite often more or less concave or otherwise irregular, but also when a thinner plate precedes a thicker plate, for as the coater rises onto the higher succeeding plate a portion of the forward plate would be insufficiently coated but for the described sur- `in the end of the coater.

plus of emulsion, and on the other hand when 'a thicker plate is in advance the coater is, by

reason of the shoulder, enabled to drop directly downward upon the succeeding thinner plate, and the surplus again is useful in causing the coating to be applied to the edge of the thinner plate.

The roller c5, with which the coater is furnished, and which comes about as low downV as is the shoulder c3, is useful in assisting the eoater to ride upon the plates as they pass beneath the coater. l 4

The provision for adapting the coater to wider or narrower plates is as follows: C represents atubular plng adapted to beinserted There is a plug at each end thereof. The plug can be turned around in the coater. It is not a perfect cylinder, butis cut away at c, and in its lip c'l are one or more osets e8.- These openings and offsets are respectively of certain lengths, according to the widths,'respectively, of the plates being coated. When the widestplates are being coated, the two plugs are turned around within the coater to present the open ings c6 c6 to the slits c2, and the emulsion can now flow out through all the slitsei". When -a narrower plate is being coated, the plugs are turned around to bring the oifsets e8 c? opposite the slits and to cut 0E the flow of the emulsion through those slits which are at the ends of the coater; Y

The described shoulder upon the bottom of the coater is valuable irrespective of any par ticular form of orice through which the -emulsion emerges from the coater, and it is especially useful in connection with a troughlike coater bearing the slits c2, as-shown,and the most desirable' construction is the one exhibited-namely, an open eoater having the slits c2, being rounded from the slits, orl

retreating from the slits to the bottom of the eoater, and having a projection-such as the shoulder cS--at thepoint of contact with the plate for accumulating the emulsion.

To preventthe emulsion from falling from the coater downward'through the machine at those times when a plate is not beneath the coater, a gutterJ is arranged in the machineV beneath thebelt and vertically beneath the coater. It receives such emulsion as drips from the coater and conducts it away, and any emulsion which may catch upon the belts ently described.

The provision for inspecting the plates is as follows: D represents a light-say an electric light-einclosed in an opaque compartment d, through whose walls no light can shine, but whose top d', which is immediately beneath the belts upon which the coated plates are resting, is composed of ruby-tinted K glass or equivalent material. By this means a light not injurious to .the plates and of suiicient strength for the purpose, is directed upward through the. plates, and by means of it the operator is enabled to inspect the coat- `inspecting device isT arranged between the ing. Asit is desirable todo this as suonatter-the emulsion is applied as is possible, this coater and the refrigerating or chill room: E, Which will now be explainedlf, The leading feature of this part of .the machine is the means by which a circulation of cold'dry air is caused to pass the plates as they are transported upon t the lbelts to Vthe end a of the ,machine The room E in lengthis extended in practice,"say twenty feet. The upper part of the belt moves longitudinally through it, whereby the 'coated plates are taken into the room at one end thereof, carried through it,

land discharged at the opposite end thereof.

Sufficient time is occupied in the transit, and a sufficiently cool temperature -is maintained in the room Ente cause the emulsion applied to the plates to become properly set thereon.

The room E in vertical cross-section is sufficiently high and wide to provide for theupper part of the belts and their load, the supports for the belts, and the means for cooling the room," as follows: The belts'for their immediate support rest upon glass strips M, those strips upon longitudinally arranged rails m, and Y m represent cross-ties which uphold the rails, substantially as shown.

N N respectively represent coils of pipe through which a cold liquid-,such as ammonia-circulates These coils are arranged, respectively, toward opposite sidesof the-room and above the level of the plates. O O', respectivel y, are guards interposed between the coils and the plates. Their function is mainly to prevent drip from the coils from enconn tering the plates. They also promote a circulation of air favorable to the operatiomin that they, in conjunction with the roof e and walls e of the room, form ilues e2 e2, through which cold air descends. To this end these flues and respectively above and beneath the coil are open to the "interior of the room, thereby'permitting the warmer, more moist air to enter the ilues at the up'per end thereof and pass to the coils, and the coolervdrier air to pass out from the flues at the lower-'end thereof and thence into the region of the plates, whereby` the plates are cooled and dried and the air made warmer again and caused ,to ascend through the central portion of the room and to re-enterthe'flues and so on around and around. The coils. are preferably made tooverhang the plates; but the coils and. guards at the upper end thereof are sufficiently spaced apart to provide space through which the air can ascend from the vicinity of the plates and enter theues e2 e2 at the upper end thereof. The coils and also the guards extend substantially throughout the length ot' the room'E, and the best arrangement of them is shown, the coils being respectively at opposite sides of the room toward the upper part thereof and inclined to bring the upper end of the coil nearer to the center of the room than is the lower end thereof, and the guards are respectively arranged parallel to roc the coils, substantially as shown. Any drip from the coils onto the guards finds its way thence onto the bottom e8 of the room, and is therefrom drained eif by any suitable means. The bottom is preferably made trough-like, as shown. The walls, roof, and bottom of the box are made suitably non-heat conducting, and it is better to similarly construct the guards. The cold air ,coming from the iiues e2 e2 finds itsv way into the lower portion of the room, where it comes in contact with the under side of the plates, and it works upward between the plates and the guards, and also through any openings between the adjoining plates and comesin contact with the coating upon the plates. Owing to the openwork nature of the belt and its support the air has free access to the plates. The room at its ends is suitably slit, e4, Fig. i3, to provide for the belts and plates in their movement.

It being important to keep the emulsion or other undesirable material from getting onto the underside of the plates, provision is made for thoroughly cleaning the belts at every revolution thereof. This is accomplished as follows: The lower part of the belts is carried through a set of Sponges P P P P. The first set of Sponges P P are-say by means of a current of hot water entering the spongechamber at p and leaving it at p-kept wet, whereby the belts are washed as they are drawn between the Sponges. The next set P P of sponges are kept dry, and they serve to wipe the washed belts as 'they pass on between the last-named Sponges; but to better insure the cleaning of the belts they are subsequently drawn through rubber dies Q, whereby the belts are thoroughly rubbed and stripped.

The die or dies Q are useful for the purpose in question irrespective of the Sponges.

The frame of the machine is of any suitable form, substantially as shown.

We claiml. A dry-plato coating-machine having the ruby-light in a chamber beneath the platesupport, as described.

2. The combination of the belts F F and their lateral supports, substantially as and for the purpose described.

3. The combination of the openpcoater and the horizontal distributing-pipe i, said pipe extending well throughout the length of said coater, as described. l

4. The combination of the tank Il, the hopper h, and the tube h', as and for the purpose described.

5. The coater having the shoulder at the bottom thereof, as and for the purpose set forth.

6. The coater, made open, as described, having the slits c2, and the shoulder' at its bottom and from said slits extending externally downward and backward, as described.

7. The coater C, having the roller e5 and the shoulder c3, as described.

S. The chill-room E, having the coils N N and the fines e2 e2, in combination with the plate-carrying belts, as described.

, 9. The chill-room E, having the coils and the guards, in combination with the belts F F, as described.

l0. The chillroom hav-ing the coils and the guards, in combination with the belts, said coils and guards over-hanging said belts, but arranged to form the fines e e2, as described.

l1. Adry-plate-coating machine having a chill-room and a plate-support, in combination, said room being cooled and dried by means of cooling-coils, and the plate-support being an open-work one, as and for the purpose described.

l2. The combination, in a dry-plate inacliine, of the belts F F and the dies Q, as described.

XVitne-ss our hands this 27th day of July, 1889.

FREDERIC J. S\VAINE. VCLARENCE S. MOODY.

Witnesses: l

C. D. MOODY, D. W. A SANFoRu 

